Nanaimo, British Columbia (Richa Walia): A motion set to be introduced at Nanaimo City Council may escalate tensions between the municipality and provincial health officials over a supervised drug use facility located adjacent to city hall.
According to the agenda for Monday’s meeting, Councillor Ian Thorpe plans to table a proposal requesting that Island Health formally shut down the overdose prevention site on Albert Street. Thorpe signaled his intent during the council’s July 21 session, saying the city must tell the province it has “had enough” of the escalating disorder in the area.
The call for closure follows a contentious July 16 committee meeting, during which council members voted against installing a 1.8-metre-high protective fence around city hall. The barrier, which city staff claimed would safeguard municipal employees from incidents linked to the nearby site, carried an estimated price tag of $412,000.
While acknowledging staff concerns about public safety, Mayor Leonard Krog expressed reservations about the fence’s potential impact. He argued it would likely be ineffective at deterring problematic behaviour while also sending “the wrong message” about how communities should approach the challenges of drug use and street-level disorder.
The motion to request the facility’s closure underscores a growing debate in the city over balancing public safety with health-based responses to the ongoing opioid crisis. If passed, it would see the city formally ask the province and Island Health to reconsider the site’s operation in its current location.
